Mark Steyn on Islam and Terrorism

[_richardMdBorn]

I heard last week on the radio the assertion that 95% of terrorist acts are committed by Muslims. Perhaps that percentage is exaggerated slightly, but Muslims clearly are responsible for terrorism well in excess to their % of the world's population (15%-20%). It's a wonder to behold the rationalizations and denials of this fact on this MB. Mark Steyn, as usual, gets right to the point:

Islam already enjoys a unique dispensation in this regard. When a swastika is found on a bathroom stall on an American campus, officialdom does not line up to say that most white people "have nothing to do with racism". Au contraire: insufficient denunciations of "white privilege" lead to the immediate loss of your job. When a single killer is discovered to have a Confederate flag emblem among his possessions, that's reason enough to have it removed from all public land within the country, and even to have ancient TV shows that include a motor vehicle with a Confederate flag decal canceled from the rerun channels. But when the Koran and invocations therefrom are found among the possessions of killers in Bamoko, in Tel Aviv, in Paris, in Chattanooga these are just daily 24/7 exceptions that prove the ironclad rule that Muslims "have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism".

The whole article is worth reading.
http://www.steynonline.com/7308/the-wee ... with-islam

[_EAllusion]

When a single killer is discovered to have a Confederate flag emblem among his possessions, that's reason enough to have it removed from all public land within the country...

That's a profoundly disingenuous description of why there was a movement to remove the confederate flag from government properties. The fact that a person who associated with the confederate flag went on a racially motivated killing spree happened to act as a precipitating factor in removing the flag from government sanction. The actual problem with it is its symbolism, both cultural and official, as a support of institutional racism. That one event just acted as a trigger for people to collectively do something about their real grievance.

The Koran is not comparable in this regard. Christian terrorist attacks happen in the United States with some level of frequency, though they somewhat less likely to get that unqualified label. When someone uses violence against abortion providers to terrorize them, we don't see very many calls for Christian groups everywhere to denounce them and the Bible as a symbol of terror. We don't do this because we recognize the diversity of the religion and there is no beeline connection between the Bible official or unofficial sanction of terror.

The confederate flag, on the other hand, has that beeline connection to racism. While some people may use it to feel connection to their ancestors or express Southern or redneck pride, it's foundational and continuing cultural legacy is inextricably tied to abominable racism. So no, a single killer having a confederate flag wasn't "reason enough." I hope this is dishonest, because I'd like to believe someone capable of writing in full sentences isn't that stupid.

[_EAllusion]

Islam already enjoys a unique dispensation in this regard. When a swastika is found on a bathroom stall on an American campus, officialdom does not line up to say that most white people "have nothing to do with racism".

That's probably because almost no one in America thinks that every white person is a Nazi or that every Christian is Brian Fischer. On the other hand, whenever a terrorist attack perpetrated by Muslims happens, it is used by a large group of people to condemn Muslims generally and as a basis to advocate for discriminatory acts towards them. That might have something to do with why other people feel the need to proclaim that terrorism isn't inherent to Islam or that most Muslims have peaceful intent.